The Night Before
by badly-knitted
Summary: It's the night before Bikky and Carol's wedding, and the bride and groom to be are sticking to tradition by spending the night apart. Set several years after Like Like Love. Written for Challenge 149: One Night Only at fan flashworks.


**Title:** The Night Before

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Ryo, Bikky, Dee, Lai, OMC.

 **Rating:** PG

 **Setting:** Several years after Like Like Love

 **Summary:** It's the night before Bikky and Carol's wedding, and the bride and groom to be are sticking to tradition by spending the night apart.

 **Word Count:** 1651

 **Content Notes:** None necessary.

 **Written For:** Challenge 149: One Night Only at fan_flashworks.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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"It's only for one night, Bikky," Ryo said reasonably, smiling at his foster son. "Besides, it's traditional."

"That's not the point. It's dumb, and you two didn't do it."

"That's different, we're guys," Dee pointed out with an amused smirk. "Neither of us was the bride. Carol wants to do things right, it's important to her, so you've just gotta respect that. What're you so worried about anyway? It's your stag night!"

"Yeah, terrific, my stag party consists of a couple of friends, my dad, you, and some of the guys you work with because most of my buds can't afford to fly up here from California. How sad is that?"

"At least you get a stag party," Dee groused. "We didn't. The guys we work with don't even know we got hitched, so you'd better not let on."

"As if I'd admit to anyone that my dad's married to a perv like you!"

"Shut it, twerp!"

"Make me!" Bikky, now taller than Dee, got the older man in a headlock and they wrestled playfully, taunting each other with the most outrageous insults they could come up with.

Watching them, Ryo shook his head, torn between exasperation and amusement. He knew his husband and the boy he'd raised as his own son for over ten years loved each other, in their own way, but he did sometimes wish they could be in the same room without all this roughhousing.

"Alright you two, that's enough. You both need to be in one piece for the wedding tomorrow." Ryo was to be Bikky's best man; the boy hadn't even considered anyone else. When Carol had proposed, he'd called his foster father almost immediately to ask him, and Ryo had been overjoyed, even though he'd asked if Bikky was sure he wouldn't rather have one of his friends. Dee had been just as thrilled when Carol had asked if he'd give her away.

Reluctantly, the pair disentangled themselves and got to their feet, straightening their clothes.

"Sorry, Ryo." Bikky looked a tad sheepish.

"Yeah, sorry babe."

"Sometimes I wonder if either of you will ever grow up! I hope Carol realises what she's getting into."

"She's used to this family," Bikky grinned. "She already knows we're kind of a weird bunch but she loves us anyway."

"You picked a good one, kid," Dee said in a rare moment of seriousness.

""I kinda think she's the one that did the picking," Bikky said with a smile. "I never really had any choice. Not that I ever wanted anyone else."

"Whatever. You'd better treat her right though or you'll have both of us to answer to, as well as Carol's aunt."

"Don't worry, I know better than to do anything that might upset Carol, she can be pretty scary when she wants to be. So you'd better not get me drunk tonight, or yourself, because if anything spoils the wedding, she'll kill all of us."

"Point taken. But how come Ryo doesn't get a warning to stay sober?"

"He has more sense than we do, and he's the designated driver anyway."

"And as driver, if we don't get going we'll be late picking up your friends."

"Where are we goin' anyway?" Bikky asked. "You never said."

"McGinty's for a couple of drinks with the guys from work, then to Kanoyama for dinner."

"Sushi! Awesome!"

"I wanted to take you to a strip club, but Ryo vetoed that idea." Dee shrugged. "Sorry, kid."

"Just as well. I don't think Carol would approve."

"You don't tell your fiancée stuff like that, moron!"

Bikky ignored the insult for once. "Wouldn't make any difference, she'd find out anyway. I don't know how she does it!"

"You're right, can't hide anything from her, she'd make a great detective."

"Are you two coming or would you rather stay here and miss out on the festivities?" Ryo asked from the door. "Because I don't mind either way, but I'd have to cancel our reservation…"

"No way! Coming, Ryo." Bikky grabbed up his jacket and hustled over to the door, jamming feet into sneakers. Dee followed, checking pockets for phone and keys, pulling on his boots and slinging his jacket over his shoulder. It was early May and the weather was pleasantly mild without being too hot.

They piled into Ryo's car, Ryo driving, Dee riding shotgun, and Bikky in the back seat.

"Where are we meeting your friends?" Ryo asked as he pulled smoothly away from the kerb.

"Outside that corner grocery store a couple blocks from where we used to live," Bikky told him.

"I remember it." Ryo glanced in the rear-view mirror. "Bikky, seatbelt."

"Oops; forgot." Bikky scrabbled about and buckled himself in.

Ryo rolled his eyes but refrained from commenting. Dee just snickered into his hand. Bikky always 'forgot'.

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OoOoOoO

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After picking up Bikky's friends Lai and Alex, Ryo drove to the 27th Precinct, pulling into his usual parking space on the forecourt. McGinty's was just down the block so it made sense to park there.

"You're seriously weird, you know that, right?" Alex asked Bikky as they all piled out of the car and straggled along the street towards the bar. "I mean c'mon, dude, who takes their dad with them on their stag night?"

Bikky just shrugged. "It's traditional for the best man to organise the groom's stag night, and Ryo's gonna be my best man. 'Sides, you and Lai are the only two of my old gang still in New York, that's not much of a party, and if I'd left it to you I'd probably wake up tomorrow naked and hungover in Canada or something. At least this way I know I'll stay sober and won't be late for my own wedding."

Despite his friends' misgivings, Bikky's bachelor party was a great success. It may well have been the first party of its kind in New York where none of the participants wound up drunk, in a fight, or arrested. That might have had something to do with the number of cops present throughout. Those who were old enough to drink, and who weren't driving, didn't overdo it so they left the bar an hour later still able to walk in a straight line and speak coherently. Dinner at the sushi bar was excellent, accompanied by a lot of laughter and reminiscences, and after spending a couple of hours at a nearby club to let off a bit of steam, the five of them piled back into Ryo's car one last time for the ride home.

Back at Dee and Ryo's shared apartment after dropping Alex and Lai back where they'd picked them up earlier that evening, Ryo made coffee, handing out mugs and settling himself onto the sofa beside Dee. Bikky sprawled bonelessly in a chair, sipped from his mug and sighed heavily; now he didn't have anything to distract him, he was back where he'd started the evening.

"I still think this is stupid; me sleeping here and Carol staying at her aunt's overnight. I hate being away from her now even for one night; it feels wrong."

Ryo smiled sympathetically; he understood that feeling, he felt the same way about Dee. "Look at it this way; after the wedding tomorrow, you'll have the rest of your lives together. What's one night apart compared to that? Carol just doesn't want to jinx things, and I'm sure she has her own preparations to make."

"Yeah, she's probably got her hair up in rollers and gunk all over her face to make herself look beautiful for the big day," Dee teased. "You wouldn't wanna see your bride-to-be like that, would ya?"

"Carol always looks beautiful," Bikky protested. "She doesn't need all that stuff."

Dee snorted softly. "Need doesn't come into it, Biks. She's a woman, she actually _likes_ doin' that stuff, pampering herself, stylin' her hair and paintin' her nails…"

"Says the guy who spent half an hour in front of the mirror earlier gettin' his hair just right." Bikky rolled his eyes in a good imitation of Ryo.

"Men need to look good too, squirt! You should try it sometime."

"Don't start, you two!" Ryo glared at his husband and son. "This is our last night together just the three of us, so please don't spoil it."

"Sorry, babe."

"Yeah, sorry Ryo."

"You're forgiven." Ryo smiled. "You know Biks, it's only tradition that the bride and groom should spend the night before the wedding apart. That doesn't mean you can't phone her."

Bikky sat up straight, eyes widening comically. "I hadn't thought of that!"

"Just don't keep her on the phone all night, it's already nearly one in the morning and you both need your sleep; tomorrow is going to be exhausting."

Dee rose from the sofa, gathering their empty mugs and carrying them to the kitchen. "We should turn in too Ryo; we need rest as much as the house ape does."

"You're right." Ryo stood up and stretched. "Don't stay up too late, Bikky."

"I won't, I promise."

"Tell Carol I'll be over there in the morning," Dee added. "Somewhere around nine-thirty."

"'Kay. Night Ryo, night Dee."

"Goodnight, Bikky."

The door to Dee and Ryo's room closed behind them. Alone at last, Bikky pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.

"Carol? Hey, did I wake you? Oh, good. Well, not good that you can't sleep, you need to get some rest before tomorrow, but I'm glad I didn't wake you up. I miss you. I know it's just for one night, but I've gotten used to sharing a bed, seems weird without you." Phone pressed to his ear, listening to his fiancée talking, Bikky made his way over to his own bedroom, closing the door behind him.

In ten hours he'd be marrying the girl he'd loved since he was a kid. This was going to be the best day of his life.

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The End


End file.
